WHAT ARE SCOUTS?

Scouting started out of the Scout section so it stands to reason that we have some serious fun in Scouts. The Spirit of Adventure is what drives the Scout Section to challenge you to try new things encourage Scouts to try to be more responsible, try more things as a team and even more leadership. The Scout events include the National Raft Race, National Adventure Skills Challenge, Sionnachs and MPCs, and the Phoenix Challenge

Scouts range from 12 to 15 years of age. Scouting started out of the Scout section so it stands to reason that we have some serious fun in Scouts. The Spirit of Adventure is what drives the Scout Section to challenge you to try new things encourage Scouts to try to be more responsible, try more things as a team and even more leadership. People in the Scout Age section have a better idea of what they want and like so it stands to reason that each Scout Section gets its identity from the members in the group and it is a chance for them to express that identity. This identity is shaped by the Scout Promise and Law that teaches crucial values in taking on life’s challenges. These include loyalty, trustworthy , respect and bravery to name a few.

The word for when all the Scouts are together is a Troop but that Troop is made up of small groups called Patrols. Every Patrol has a Patrol Leader, who meets with the other Patrol Leaders to talk about things that are going in the Troop. This meeting is called a Patrol Leader Council.

In the Scout Troop, the Patrol should be the grouping for most activities, meetings and events. More and more should be done in Patrols and Patrols should be encouraged to organize separate activities, meetings and events on a regular basis. Each Scout will share their needs, their requirements and their suggestions with the Patrol, and the Patrol Leader will represent the views of his/her Patrol members at the Patrol Leaders Council. The Patrol Leaders Council will direct the Scout Troop and will help maintain a high standard of programme and good order in the Troop. Most activity is done in Patrols and each Patrol will make decisions for itself, review its own progress, and decide on its own future plans. The Patrol Leader, with the Assistant Patrol Leader, has overall responsibility for the Patrol and should encourage each Scout to take on more responsibility as they progress over time. Each Scout should be given the opportunity to take on a leadership role on a regular basis; different activities, events or topics should be used to provide such opportunities.

The Scout events include such activities like the Sionnachs and Mountain Pursuit Challenges and the Phoenix Challenge not to mention the various Annual Camps and Patrol camps that each Patrol goes on.